Speakers
Mfon Akpan, Assistant Professor of Accounting, Methodist University
Closing Session: The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence in Accounting Education Panel
Saturday, October 21, 2023, 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Dr. Mfon Akpan, DBA, CGMA, is an Assistant Professor of Accounting at Methodist University, where he seamlessly blends traditional pedagogy with cutting-edge technology. His innovative approach ensures that students are well-versed in accounting principles and adept at navigating the digital nuances of the modern accounting era. This synthesis of knowledge and technology equips his students to face the dynamic challenges of today's accounting profession with confidence and expertise. Outside the classroom, Dr. Akpan extends his thought leadership through platforms like TEDx, where he recently presented "The Unexpected Benefits of Change, Even If It Sucks at First!" offering profound insights into the transformative power of change in both personal and professional contexts.
Crystal Cooke, Director of Diversity and Inclusion & NCDI Vice Chair, AICPA & CIMA
Plenary Session: A Fireside Chat: The Current Status of Diversity Efforts in the Profession
Brought to you by the AICPA & CIMA’s National Commission on Diversity and Inclusion (NCDI) Leadership:
Friday, October 20, 2023, 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm
Crystal joined the Association in early 2020 and oversees the AICPA & CIMA’s member facing Diversity and Inclusion team where they encourage and promote diversity, equity, & inclusion (DEI) within the accounting and finance profession and its workforce.
Her team focuses their efforts on advancing DEI and increasing representation in the primary areas of ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+, women, and supporting the profession’s emerging professions.
She serves as the Vice-Chair of the AICPA & CIMA’s National Commission on Diversity & Inclusion, whose mission includes making diversity and inclusion a priority in the areas of recruitment, certification, and advancement of ethnic minorities. Her work requires collaboration with senior executives of partner organizations and accounting firms who also seek to increase and advance DEI in their workforces.
Prior to the Association, Crystal spent 12 years at the Center for Audit Quality where she managed Governing Board operations, financial reporting and budgeting processes, and talent, which included leading efforts around Diversity and Inclusion. She was also employed at KPMG LLP for 7 years as an auditor in their assurance practice in Washington D.C.
Crystal holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting from the University of Cincinnati. She and her family reside in Bowie, MD.
Scott Dell is an Assistant Professor at Francis Marian University
Closing Session: The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence in Accounting Education Panel
Saturday, October 21, 2023, 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Dr. Scott Dell is an Assistant Professor at Francis Marian University in Florence, SC. He is a licensed CPA with roots as a Wharton MBA and UW-Whitewater DBA, along with firm experiences in the Big 4 and second-tier accounting organizations. He is an award-winning full-time academic, passionate career educator, proud Navy veteran, and well-respected speaker on GAI including ChatGPT & GPT-4. “Dr. Scott” has also been an author and tech consultant and advocate for over 30 years. Let his knowledge and experience with ChatGPT propel you to major successes in applying and using this powerful technology.
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Ann C. Dzuranin, KPMG Endowed Professor of Accountancy, Northern Illinois University
Closing Session: The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence in Accounting Education Panel
Saturday, October 21, 2023, 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Dr. Ann C. Dzuranin is the KPMG Endowed Professor of Accountancy at Northern Illinois University. She earned her B.S. from Fairleigh Dickinson University, her MBA from New York University, and her Ph.D. from the University of South Florida. Ann is a CPA (NJ) with 15 years of experience in both public and corporate accounting.
Ann conducts behavioral research in management accounting decision-making and the ways in which accounting information systems interact with those decisions. Her publications include Issues in Accounting Education, Journal of Information Systems, Journal of Business Ethics, Strategic Finance, Management Accounting Quarterly, IMA Statement on Management Accounting, Journal of Corporate Accounting and Finance and the Journal of Accounting Education.
Ann received the 2018 American Accounting Association’s Innovation in Accounting Education Award for her work in data analytics curriculum development. Ann’s work in data analytics has resulted in invitations to present on Data Analytics and Accounting curriculum at both academic and professional conferences. Her presentations have reached over 3,000 people and her materials have been shared with more than 75 universities. She is coauthor on the textbook Data and Analytics in Accounting: An Integrated Approach, published in January 2023 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Ann served on the AICPA CPA Evolution Taskforce and currently serves as a BEC/ISC subcommittee member and a member of the CPA exam Content Committee.
Kimberly Ellison-Taylor, Chief Executive Officer KET Solutions, LLC
Plenary Session: A Fireside Chat: The Current Status of Diversity Efforts in the Profession
Brought to you by the AICPA & CIMA’s National Commission on Diversity and Inclusion (NCDI) Leadership:
Friday, October 20, 2023, 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm
Kimberly Ellison-Taylor is a Global Technology and Finance leader with over 30 years of career achievements. She is the Chief Executive Officer of KET Solutions, LLC, a consulting firm focused on business growth, innovation, strategy, transformation and inclusive leadership. Ellison-Taylor is a sought after keynote speaker and has received many awards and recognitions for her expertise and leadership including Accounting Today's Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting and CPA Practice Advisor's 25 Most Powerful Women in Accounting.
For almost 17 years, Ellison-Taylor served in global leadership roles for Oracle Corporation. Kimberly advised C-Suite Executives on cloud solutions that innovate and transform business. Ellison-Taylor is also an adjunct professor for Carnegie Mellon University's Chief Information Officer Certificate program teaching Emerging Technologies & Innovation. She is also an independent board director.
Other professional achievements include tenure at Prince George's County Government, KPMG, Motorola, and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Ellison-Taylor has an undergraduate degree in Information Systems from the University of Maryland Baltimore County, a MBA from Loyola University, an Accounting Certificate from Baltimore County Community College and a Master of Science from Carnegie Mellon University in Information Technology Management as well as a Chief Information Officer certificate. She is a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Global Management Accountant, and Certified Information Systems Auditor.
Kimberly has volunteered in the profession for over 20 years including leadership positions as Chairman of the American Institute of CPAs, Chairman of the Association of Certified Professional Accountants, and Chairman of the Maryland Association of CPAs. Kimberly is also the Chair for the AICPA's National Commission on Diversity and Inclusion and is the Immediate Past President for Beta Alpha Psi. Ellison-Taylor is also the Chairman of the Maryland Association of CPAs Education Foundation.
In her personal life, Kimberly is also committed to volunteerism and has served in various leadership positions, including as a President for her local chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., a community service organization that serves women, youth, and families, seniors and the military. She is a Life Member of Sigma Gamma Rho and also a Lifetime member of the National Association of Black Accountants--Kimberly is in the Baltimore Chapter.
Her personal reflection is To Whom Much is Given, Much is Required.
David Fisher, Manager – Audit Innovation, KPMG
Closing Session: The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence in Accounting Education Panel
Saturday, October 21, 2023, 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
David leads large-scale innovation, strategy, and digital transformation efforts as a part of KPMG's Audit Innovation team, with a focus on artificial intelligence and data and analytics. David scopes, researches, and executes investments against rigorous business, client experience, and regulatory criteria while incorporating emerging signals of change from industries and academia.
David was the lead senior of multiple large engagement teams prior to joining the Audit Innovation team. David’s audit experience spans the financial services, life sciences, government, and manufacturing industries and includes integrated and first year audits, as well as audits of complex topics like reverse mergers. David led local implementation of several technologies and advised teams nationally on technology adoption. David was also selected for a rotation in KPMG’s advisory practice, where he served as a data and digital transformation consultant.
David is a Certified Public Accountant in Maryland and the District of Columbia and is a member of the Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants and the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants.
Derek Thomas, Audit Partner, National Partner-in-Charge, University Talent Acquisition, KPMG LLP
Lunch Presentation
Saturday, October 21, 12:15pm – 1:30 pm
Derek is a KPMG audit partner in the Washington, DC office. He has more than 26 years of experience providing financial statement audit, attestation, and advisory services to clients in the government and nonprofit sectors.
Derek is the National Partner-in-Charge, University Talent Acquisition. In this role, he is responsible for KPMG’s national recruiting strategy and execution, including faculty relations. Prior to the role, Derek was the University Talent Acquisition partner for the Federal Business Unit. He is a member of the African American Business Resource Group National Advisory Board and the National Audit Inclusion and Diversity Council. He serves as a board member of the KPMG U.S. Foundation, Inc., the Board of Directors of Bread for the City, and the Board of Governors for the Greater Washington Society of CPAs.
Derek has significant experience leading large audit engagements, including providing performance audits and attestation services to federal agencies and state and local governments. He has a thorough understanding of U.S. GAAS, Government Auditing Standards and OMB Circular No. A-133, Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations. Derek served a rotation with GAO’s Financial Management and Assurance Team.
Derek holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Liberty University. He is a member of the AICPA, the Association of Government Accountants and the Information Systems Audit and Control Association. He is a licensed CPA in Virginia and the District of Columbia and is a Certified Government Financial Manager and a Certified Information Systems Auditor.
Cynthia W. Turner, The Ohio State University
Plenary Session
Saturday, October 22, 9:00 am- 10:30 am
Cynthia W. Turner serves on the leadership team at Fisher as the assistant dean and chief diversity officer and has become a widely sought-after facilitator and guest speaker on the topics of diversity, equity and inclusion.
After joining Fisher in 2013 as a senior lecturer of accounting, she developed the award-winning Project THRIVE program, a diversity initiative designed to increase representation within the undergraduate accounting and management information systems department. In 2018, she was honored with Ohio State’s Distinguished Diversity Enhancement Award for her success in doubling the diversity within the undergraduate program in two short years.
Since taking on the position as assistant dean and chief diversity officer at Fisher in 2019, Cynthia’s strategic efforts have helped double external funding for scholarships and DEI initiatives; facilitated the development of a formal partnership with the city of Columbus to support pre-collegiate programming for its underrepresented and first-generation high school students; developed programming to engage Fisher’s diverse alumni, including the Alumni of Color Network Weekend and the Women’s Leadership Symposium; and created a new DEI course offering at Fisher.
Cynthia has an MA and PhD in accounting from The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business and a BS in accounting from North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, NC. She was the first African American woman to earn a PhD in accounting at Ohio State and the first African American woman to be appointed to serve on the leadership team at Fisher in 2019. In 2023, she was nationally recognized with a lifetime achievement award for advancing diversity throughout her career.
Cynthia spent 17 years on the faculty of the Department of Accountancy at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she began as an assistant professor and was the associate director of the department’s undergraduate program.
Cynthia is also an award-winning educator who teaches courses in cost accounting and information systems in the undergraduate program, as well as to graduate and executive education students at Fisher. As a researcher, Cynthia's scholarly work has been published in the Journal of Accounting Research and the International Journal of Accounting. Prior to beginning her academic career, Cynthia was a practicing accountant at EY.
Cynthia currently sits on the boards of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio and Women for Economic and Leadership Development. She also sits on the national advisory board for the Women Business Collaborative. Cynthia is a certified public accountant (inactive) and member of the American Accounting Association, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the National Association of Black Accountants.